Best Baguette in Paris Award 2008By Emmanuel TresmontantThe contest was won this year by a brilliant baker, Anis Bouabsa, who had already distinguished himself in 2004 by becoming the youngest Meilleur Ouvrier de France... The traditional baguette in danger? On Tuesday 12th February, 143 bakers from all over Paris went to drop off their “traditional” baguettes, made that very morning, at the Chambre Professionnelle des Artisans Boulangers-Pâtissiers, located on Quai d’Anjou (on Île Saint-Louis). Before being carefully examined by a jury including, among other specialists, the winners from previous years (such as Arnaud Delmontel, winner in 2007), 14 baguettes were automatically eliminated for not complying with the criteria of size and weight peculiar to the “baguette tradition” (70 cm long, between 250 and 300 g). The contest, which lasted over three hours, was sometimes heated, for example when bread historian Stephen Kaplan* threatened to leave the room “if he wasn’t presented with a baguette worthy of the name, without ascorbic acid!”  © E. Tresmontant/ViaMichelin The general consensus was that 2008 was not as good a year as 2007, as attested by Jean-Pierre Cohier, winner in 2006, who was surprised to see among the contenders baguettes that were scarcely baked, kneaded any old how and without any honeycombed crumb: “Since the creation of the contest in 1993, Parisian bakers have kept making progress. Today one might say there is a certain sloppiness – it’s worrying for the future of the traditional baguette.” A few baguettes did, however, impress with their smooth, blister-free golden crust, their regular, harmonious knife strokes, plump, creamy crumb, and subtle nutty flavour! After counting the points, two baguettes – numbers 132 and 97 – were tied. The jury therefore carefully re-examined them, still tasting “blind”, in order to decide between them. Number 132 was unanimously found to be richer in aroma and taste, whilst number 97 appealed perhaps more for its attractively browned appearance and voluptuous, gourmet aspect. Under those circumstances, there was no hesitation: it is the taste and aroma that express the soul of the bread and must therefore be deemed to have priority! What is a traditional baguette?A “tradi” baguette is one that has been made with pure, additive-free wheat flour, water and salt. For the concept of “home-made bread” to have meaning, it has been kneaded, shaped and baked on the premises by the baker in his bakehouse and has not been frozen (unlike usual practice in baking terminals where people are content to bake an industrially produced deep-frozen dough). For the contest, each baker must present two baguettes, which are labelled and tasted blind by the jury. Anis Bouabsa © E. Tresmontant/ViaMichelin A winner acknowledged by his peersOf Tunisian origin, Anis Bouabsa,28, therefore won the Grand Prix de la Meilleure Baguette de Paris 2008. Confirmation of a real talent because, already Meilleur Ouvrier de France (best craftsman in France) 2004, Anis had been placed amongst the top five in the contest for the last three years. In the very tough and competitive milieu of the bakery trade, Anis Bouabsa has carved out a reputation for himself as a nice guy and a perfectionist. Unfortunately, it requires something of an effort to pay him a visit because his bakery is far from the centre, at the northern boundary of the 18th arrondissement, between the Porte de la Chapelle and Max Dormoy metro stations (a district that doesn’t attract much spontaneous tourism…): “It’s a small village here, everyone knows each other and people are proud of my success”. When told that he will be supplying the Élysée palace for a year, Anis smiles and confesses that he will have to hire someone to deliver the President’s baguettes every morning… Moral of the story: baker friends, make good bread, it’s good for the country’s growth! *Author of "Le retour du bon pain" (The Return of Good Bread), Perrin 2002, and "Cherchez le pain" (a guide to the best bakers of Paris), Plon 2004. Classed in second place, Fabrice Pottier is another young baker whom we already recommended last year. His baguette is one of the most elegant in Paris, with perfectly drawn grooves, a floury golden crust and a pearly crumb with strong cereal aromas. Fabrice delivers to Alain Passard’s restaurant, L’Arpège, every day. AddressesAnis Bouabsa Au Duc de la Chapelle 32, rue Tristan Tzara 75018 Paris Tel: 01 40 38 18 98 Fabrice Pottier 231, rue de Vaugirard 75015 Paris Tel: 01 43 06 14 83 |
Tourism and Gastronomy
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